This morning I was discussing with a co-worker what our little elves have been up to this week. She could not believe that my little girls at almost 10 years old absolutely believe in Santa Clause and the elves. She has no children and finds it hard to believe that they can be so gullible.
Well another co-worker jumps in a this point and says that she HAD to tell her 11 year old this year that Santa isn't real. I asked why she had to and she said she didn't want her getting made fun of for believing in Santa and she's just too old to believe in Santa.
This concept is completely foreign to me. I have a 17 year old. She will be 18 in March and I have NEVER felt the need to tell her that Santa was not real. She knows the truth obviously but I have never TOLD it to her. If I ask her today if she believes, she will say yes. Granted it's because she says if she doesn't believe then Santa doesn't bring stuff and Santa brings the good stuff, but that's not the point. I see her at Christmas time, part of her still believes in the magic. I have never felt the need to break that illusion, rid her world of the magic, tell her I lied to her. She also never asked if he was real or not.
I'm 34 years old. I always have a hard time going to sleep on Christmas Eve. I am just too excited. And then Christmas Morning, I ALWAYS am up before anyone else in the house. Last year I had to force myself to stay in the bed until the kids came to wake me up. Years before I would wake them up and get made fun of for being more excited than the kids. When I get in there Christmas morning, I always have a little something in the back of my head that says look around, maybe Santa left you something too. Even though I "know".
Anyway, my little ones absolutely believe in Santa, they believe their elves come to life when they're not looking, they believe in the tooth fairy, they believe in the Easter Bunny, they believe in fairies and dragons. They will fight and argue with you if you try to tell them otherwise. They believe in God, they believe in Jesus, and really aren't the others about in the same league? Not physically real, but real enough if you believe.
What's so wrong with believing in a little magic? Is that what is wrong with the world today? Nobody believes in anything anymore? Is that why we're all so mean, grouchy and too busy to pay attention to something that we can't explain?
If my kids want to believe in Santa, who am I to take that magic away from them? That is not my right, it is nobody's right. And frankly, I will do everything within my power to foster and nurture that belief in magic. If it means playing "elf" at night or having my step-dad pretend to be Santa on the phone every year, so be it.
After all, I believe in Santa Clause.
Well another co-worker jumps in a this point and says that she HAD to tell her 11 year old this year that Santa isn't real. I asked why she had to and she said she didn't want her getting made fun of for believing in Santa and she's just too old to believe in Santa.
This concept is completely foreign to me. I have a 17 year old. She will be 18 in March and I have NEVER felt the need to tell her that Santa was not real. She knows the truth obviously but I have never TOLD it to her. If I ask her today if she believes, she will say yes. Granted it's because she says if she doesn't believe then Santa doesn't bring stuff and Santa brings the good stuff, but that's not the point. I see her at Christmas time, part of her still believes in the magic. I have never felt the need to break that illusion, rid her world of the magic, tell her I lied to her. She also never asked if he was real or not.
I'm 34 years old. I always have a hard time going to sleep on Christmas Eve. I am just too excited. And then Christmas Morning, I ALWAYS am up before anyone else in the house. Last year I had to force myself to stay in the bed until the kids came to wake me up. Years before I would wake them up and get made fun of for being more excited than the kids. When I get in there Christmas morning, I always have a little something in the back of my head that says look around, maybe Santa left you something too. Even though I "know".
Anyway, my little ones absolutely believe in Santa, they believe their elves come to life when they're not looking, they believe in the tooth fairy, they believe in the Easter Bunny, they believe in fairies and dragons. They will fight and argue with you if you try to tell them otherwise. They believe in God, they believe in Jesus, and really aren't the others about in the same league? Not physically real, but real enough if you believe.
What's so wrong with believing in a little magic? Is that what is wrong with the world today? Nobody believes in anything anymore? Is that why we're all so mean, grouchy and too busy to pay attention to something that we can't explain?
If my kids want to believe in Santa, who am I to take that magic away from them? That is not my right, it is nobody's right. And frankly, I will do everything within my power to foster and nurture that belief in magic. If it means playing "elf" at night or having my step-dad pretend to be Santa on the phone every year, so be it.
After all, I believe in Santa Clause.
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